Seven homeless after arson destroys New Amsterdam home

Seven people have been left homeless after a fire, confirmed to have been deliberately set, destroyed a two-storey wooden house at Lot 53 Winkle Road, New Amsterdam, in the early hours of Sunday.

During an interview with reporters, 17-year-old Wanita Bristol revealed that she and her 11-year-old brother were asleep when they were awakened by smoke at around 1:20 hours. After checking the house, she discovered flames in the kitchen area.

She immediately rushed her younger brother to safety before re-entering the burning house in an attempt to retrieve important documents, including her CXC examination slips. Bristol, a former student of Fraser’s Educational Institute, recently wrote several subjects at the May/June Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations and is awaiting her results.

The upper flat of the three-bedroom wooden house was occupied by Bristol, her brother and their mother, Gailann Williams. The lower flat was occupied by Williams’ brother, his son-in-law and two other relatives.

Williams, who was not at home when the fire started, claimed that the blaze was deliberately set by her brother’s son-in-law, with whom she is involved in an ongoing court matter. She said the fire originated on the lower flat of the building.

“My mother and father worked hard to build this house, and now for a stranger to burn it down is unfair. I have my trust in God,” Williams said.

She praised firefighters from the New Amsterdam Fire Station for their swift response, noting that they were able to prevent the flames from spreading to nearby buildings.

Although the family lost all of their belongings, Williams said she remains grateful that no one was injured.

“I am very happy that my children are alive because I’m not concerned about the material things. I thank God for their lives,” she said.

Divisional Fire Officer Clive McDonald confirmed that investigations determined the fire was deliberately set.

The incident remains under investigation.